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Oklahoma State came into this game ranked #2 in the BCS and all major polls. Their dynamic air raid attack spearheaded them to a 10–0 record, the best undefeated start in school history. They came into the game averaging 51.7 points per game. The Cowboys had vaulted to #2 after #1 LSU defeated previous #2 Alabamaa week earlier, and it was understood that the Cowboys would play in the BCS national championship game if they won out.

The day before the game, a tragic plane crash occurred that killed Oklahoma Statewomen's basketball coach Kurt Budke and his assistant Miranda Serna. The crash was said to have a huge psychological impact on the normally potent Cowboys squad. Mike Gundy stated about the crash, “Honestly, the last thing that anybody wants to do, really, is play a game.”[1]

ESPN's Joe Tessitore said before the game during their broadcast, "The Oklahoma State Cowboys have arrived in Ames, Iowa with heavy hearts. These coaches and players are dealing with tragic news. Women's basketball head coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna were killed in a plane crash last night. In moments, another kickoff arrives before this undefeated team while an entire university community is overcome with grief." Before the game, Jack Trice Stadium observed a brief moment of silence for the lives lost in the plane crash.

The Cowboys raced to a 24–7 lead early into the third quarter. Iowa State scored 17 unanswered points to tie the game, but quarterback Jared Barnett was intercepted with 2 minutes to go, and the Cowboys were immediately in field goal range. After the Cyclones forced a 4th-and-1 at the 20-yard line, Oklahoma State opted to try a field goal with just over a minute remaining, but the 37-yard field goal attempt by Oklahoma State kicker Quinn Sharp went wide right, forcing overtime. There, Iowa State scored a touchdown on the first play, while Oklahoma State successfully responded with a touchdown on their own. On the first play of the second overtime, a pass by Heisman candidate Brandon Weeden was tipped and intercepted, giving Iowa State a golden opportunity to pull off the upset, which they did after a series of plays that culminated in runningback Jeff Woody running into the endzone. Jubilant Iowa State fans then stormed the field.

Oklahoma State racked up 536 yards of total offense, but only gained 60 rushing yards and also committed five turnovers. It was Iowa State's first win over a team ranked sixth or higher in the AP poll.[2]

The game had a considerable impact on the history of college football. With Oklahoma State's loss, Alabama jumped back to second in the BCS standings, and would remain there for the rest of the season. Despite Oklahoma State throttling their rival No. 13 Oklahoma 44–10 in their final game of the regular season, it was not enough to vault them past Alabama in the BCS standings, as Alabama was controversially awarded the second berth in the BCS National Championship Game opposite LSU. Despite Oklahoma State finishing ahead of Alabama in the computer polls that compiled 1/3 of the BCS formula, Alabama's lead in the human polls was too large to overcome. This created the slimest margin between two teams in the final BCS Standings Alabama, had an average score of .9419 where as Oklahoma State had and average score of .9333. More controversy came from the BCS formula of this due to the fact that several head football coaches used their vote in the Coaches Poll to diminish OSU's position by voting them No. 4 or lower; among those to do so were, Alabama head coach Nick Saban, former BIG XII, head coach of Missouri Gary Pinkel, Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun, and Stanford head coach David Shaw, and Alabama won the National Championship rematch with LSU 21–0. One day after the rematch, the Sporting News reported that the 2012 offseason would be spent building a playoff system.[3] The rematch is cited by some as the catalyst for the movement towards the new College Football Playoff system for determining a consensus national champion in NCAA Division I FBS football,[4] and the catalyst that marked the downfall of Les Miles at LSU. Thus, some has marked this upset as the event that led to Miles' downfall.[5][6]

Citing the plane crash and the subsequent loss, Weeden called it "one of the hardest days in Oklahoma State history."[7]

4 years later, Oklahoma State found themselves in a similar situation. They were 9-0 and ranked #8, just 3 wins away from making the College Football Playoff, and were playing on the road against Iowa State. This time, the Cowboys prevailed, ironically coming back from a 24-7 deficit to win 35-31. However, the Cowboys would lose their final 2 regular season games, and as a result did not make the College Football Playoff.

1.
Jack Trice Stadium
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Jack Trice Stadium is a stadium, in Ames, Iowa, United States. It is primarily used for football, and is the home field of the Iowa State Cyclones. It opened on September 20,1975, with a 17–12 win over Air Force and it is the third-largest stadium by capacity in the Big 12 Conference and the third-newest in the conference, behind only Milan Puskar Stadium of West Virginia and Baylors McLane Stadium. Including hillside seats in the corners of the stadium, the official capacity is 61,500. The school announced in May 2014 a planned expansion to 61,500, the current record for single-game attendance,61,500, was set on September 5,2015, when the Cyclones defeated the University of Northern Iowa 31-7. Jack Trice Stadium replaced Clyde Williams Field, which had been in use from 1914 through 1974, Williams Field was closed in 1975 and razed in 1978, and Martin and Eaton residence halls now stand on the ground. The stadium consists of double-decked grandstands running the length of either sideline, the Richard O. Jacobson Athletic Building, an athletic center built in 1996, is located in the north end zone. The field itself is slightly lower than the surrounding ground, there is a single main concourse for each of the grandstands. A three-level press box on the west side of the stadium was added to the stadium in 1997 for a cost of $6.2 million, permanent lighting and a large video/scoreboard behind the bleachers in the south end zone were added in 2002. Later in the summer of 2011 a second video/scoreboard was added on the north side, at triple the size of the previous scoreboard, it stands over the Jacobson Athletic Building. Both scoreboards consist of three levels on the inside, with a perch on top. The stadium is part of the Iowa State Center, a sports, entertainment, on October 6,1923, Trice and his Iowa State College teammates played against the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Because he was African American, on the night of the game, during the second play of the game, Trices collarbone was broken. Trice insisted he was all right and returned to the game, in the third quarter, while attempting to tackle a University of Minnesota ball carrier by throwing a roll block, Trice was trampled by three Minnesota players. Although he claimed to be fine, Trice was removed from the game, the doctors declared him fit to travel and he returned by train to Ames with his teammates. On October 8,1923, Trice died from hemorrhaged lungs, there was a great deal of speculation surrounding the play that resulted in Jack Trices death. Many of his teammates claimed after the fact that he was a being targeted throughout the first two quarters because of his skin color, ISU teammate Johnny Behm told the Cleveland Plain Dealer in a 1979 interview that One person told me that nothing out of the ordinary happened. But another who saw it said it was murder, Iowa State dismissed all classes after 3 p. m. on October 9,1923 in honor of Trice, who wore the number 37 in his short career at Iowa State

2.
Iowa
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Iowa is a U. S. state in the Midwestern United States, bordered by the Mississippi River on the east and the Missouri River and the Big Sioux River on the west. Surrounding states include Wisconsin and Illinois to the east, Missouri to the south, Nebraska and South Dakota to the west, in colonial times, Iowa was a part of French Louisiana and Spanish Louisiana, its state flag is patterned after the flag of France. After the Louisiana Purchase, people laid the foundation for an economy in the heart of the Corn Belt. Iowa is the 26th most extensive in area and the 30th most populous of the 50 United States. Its capital and largest city by population is Des Moines, Iowa has been listed as one of the safest states in which to live. Its nickname is the Hawkeye State, Iowa derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many Native American tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa is bordered by the Mississippi River on the east, the Missouri River and the Big Sioux River on the west, Iowa is the only state whose east and west borders are formed entirely by rivers. Iowa has 99 counties, but 100 county seats because Lee County has two, the state capital, Des Moines, is in Polk County. Iowas bedrock geology generally increases in age from west to east, in northwest Iowa, Cretaceous bedrock can be 74 million years old, in eastern Iowa Cambrian bedrock dates to c.500 million years ago. Iowa is generally not flat, most of the consists of rolling hills. Iowa can be divided into eight landforms based on glaciation, soils, topography, Loess hills lie along the western border of the state, some of which are several hundred feet thick. Northeast Iowa along the Mississippi River is part of the Driftless Zone, consisting of steep hills, several natural lakes exist, most notably Spirit Lake, West Okoboji Lake, and East Okoboji Lake in northwest Iowa. To the east lies Clear Lake, man-made lakes include Lake Odessa, Saylorville Lake, Lake Red Rock, Coralville Lake, Lake MacBride, and Rathbun Lake. The states northwest area has remnants of the once common wetlands. Iowas natural vegetation is tallgrass prairie and savanna in areas, with dense forest and wetlands in flood plains and protected river valleys. Most of Iowa is used for agriculture, crops cover 60% of the state, grasslands cover 30%, as of 2005 Iowa ranked 49th of U. S. states in public land holdings. Endangered or threatened plants include western prairie fringed orchid, eastern prairie fringed orchid, Meads milkweed, prairie bush clover, the explosion in the number of high-density livestock facilities in Iowa has led to increased rural water contamination and a decline in air quality. Iowa has a continental climate throughout the state

3.
College football
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It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. No minor league farm organizations exist in American football and it is in college football where a players performance directly impacts his chances of playing professional football. The best collegiate players will declare for the professional draft after 3 to 4 years of collegiate competition. Those not selected can still attempt to land an NFL roster spot as a free agent. Even after the emergence of the professional National Football League, college football remained extremely popular throughout the U. S, in many cases, college stadiums employ bench-style seating, as opposed to individual seats with backs and arm rests. This allows them to more fans in a given amount of space than the typical professional stadium. College athletes, unlike players in the NFL, are not permitted by the NCAA to be paid salaries, colleges are only allowed to provide non-monetary compensation such as athletic scholarships that provide for tuition, housing, and books. Modern North American football has its origins in various games, all known as football, by the 1840s, students at Rugby School were playing a game in which players were able to pick up the ball and run with it, a sport later known as Rugby football. The game was taken to Canada by British soldiers stationed there and was soon being played at Canadian colleges, the first documented gridiron football match was a game played at University College, a college of the University of Toronto, November 9,1861. One of the participants in the game involving University of Toronto students was William Mulock, a football club was formed at the university soon afterward, although its rules of play at this stage are unclear. In 1864, at Trinity College, also a college of the University of Toronto, F. Barlow Cumberland, modern Canadian football is widely regarded as having originated with a game played in Montreal, in 1865, when British Army officers played local civilians. The game gradually gained a following, and the Montreal Football Club was formed in 1868, early games appear to have had much in common with the traditional mob football played in England. The games remained largely unorganized until the 19th century, when games of football began to be played on college campuses. Each school played its own variety of football, Princeton University students played a game called ballown as early as 1820. A Harvard tradition known as Bloody Monday began in 1827, which consisted of a mass ballgame between the freshman and sophomore classes, in 1860, both the town police and the college authorities agreed the Bloody Monday had to go. The Harvard students responded by going into mourning for a figure called Football Fightum. The authorities held firm and it was a dozen years before football was again played at Harvard. Dartmouth played its own version called Old division football, the rules of which were first published in 1871, all of these games, and others, shared certain commonalities

4.
2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
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The 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tides 117th overall and 78th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference, the team was led by head coach Nick Saban, in his fifth year, and played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of wins and one loss. After the completion of the 2010 season, the Crimson Tide signed a highly rated recruiting class in February 2011, however, Alabama lost to the LSU Tigers in their regular season matchup, and as a result did not qualify for the 2011 SEC Championship Game. In the rematch against LSU, the Crimson Tide defeated the Tigers 21–0 to capture their second BCS Championship in three years. At the conclusion of the season, the Alabama defense led the nation in every statistical category. Additionally, several players were recognized for the accomplishments on the field. Also, seven players were named to various All-America Teams with Donta Hightower being a selection and Mark Barron, Jones. In April 2012, eight members of the 2011 squad were selected in the NFL Draft, however, they finished with a 49–7 victory in the 2011 Capital One Bowl against Michigan State, and secured Alabamas third straight ten-win season and their third bowl win in four seasons. In February 2011, Alabama signed the No.1 recruiting class according to Rivals, Spring practice began on March 21 and concluded with the annual A-Day game on April 16. Televised live by ESPNU, the Crimson team of offensive starters defeated the White team of defensive starters by a score of 14–10 before 92,310 fans in Bryant–Denny Stadium. For their performances, Barrett Jones earned the Dwight Stephenson Lineman of the A-Day Game Award, in the weeks after the conclusion of spring practice, a pair of tragedies occurred that directly impacted the team. On April 27,2011, an EF4 rated tornado devastated Tuscaloosa, as a result of the storm, long snapper Carson Tinker suffered a broken wrist with his girlfriend being one of the 43 fatalities attributed to the storm in Tuscaloosa. On May 12,2011, offensive lineman Aaron Douglas was found dead in Fernandina Beach, the cause of death was subsequently ruled accidental as a result of multiple drug toxicity. After transferring to Alabama from Arizona Western College, Douglas struggled with issues including a DUI charge following a December 2010 arrest. He started his career as a freshman All-America at Tennessee, before the Volunteers new head coach Derek Dooley granted him a release from the program in Spring 2010, by August, Alabama had a combined 31 players on 12 different preseason award watch lists. Between the conclusion of the 2010 season and the beginning of practice in August 2011. Those who transferred included Robby Green, B. J. Scott, Demetrius Goode, Petey Smith, Brandon Moore, Corey Grant, Alabama head coach Nick Saban entered his fifth year as the Crimson Tides head coach for the 2011 season

5.
College GameDay (football)
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In its current form, the program is typically broadcast from the campus of the team hosting a featured game being played that day, and features news and analysis of the days upcoming games. Today, the original cast member remaining is Lee Corso. Rece Davis serves as host and Kirk Herbstreit is Corsos counterpart, desmond Howard was added to the cast of the show in 2008. Craig James served as an analyst from 1990 to 1995, Erin Andrews joined the GameDay crew as a co-host and contributor in 2010, replaced in 2012 by Samantha Ponder. In 2015, Rece Davis replaced Chris Fowler as host of the show, in 2010, the program was expanded from two to three hours, with the opening hour broadcast on ESPNU until 2013. The show is known for its prediction segment that appears at the end of each broadcast, typically there are three predictors, Corso, Herbstreit, and an invited guest, usually a celebrity, prominent athlete, or radio personality associated with the host school for that week. The selected stadium is usually hosting one of the biggest matchups of the day, the first show on the road took place at South Bend, Indiana for the match up between #2 Notre Dame and #1 FSU. The show takes on a festive tailgate party atmosphere, as thousands of fans gather behind the broadcast set, many fans bring flags or hand-painted signs as well, and the schools cheerleaders and mascots often join in the celebration. Crowds at GameDay tapings are known to be boisterous and very spirited. Flags seen at the broadcast are not limited to those of the team, for example, one large Washington State flag can be seen at every broadcast. The idea began in 2003 on WSU online fan forums and has resulted in the flag being present at more than 159 consecutive GameDay broadcasts since 2004. Rap artist Travie McCoy now appears in the intro for this show, starting with 2014 season, as well as Lzzy Hale, lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock group Halestorm. Additional music that has used for the show include Boom by the rock group P. O. D. Starting with the 2009 season, a celebrity guest picker gives picks for the key games alongside the GameDay regulars. Prior to 2009, this was not done on a regular basis, in past years, when no suitably important game was available, it would originate instead from the ESPN studios. College GameDay was also a source for many arguments regarding the purported east coast bias, From 1993 until 2004, with the addition of the Saturday Night Football game on ABC in 2006, GameDay has increasingly aired from that game. This could be done for reasons including the fact Kirk Herbstreit is on both programs, thus making it easier for him. Another reason could be to give the Saturday Night Football game added exposure, beginning with the shows 21st season, College GameDay began broadcasting in high-definition on ESPN HD

6.
Ames, Iowa
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Ames is a city located in the central part of the U. S. state of Iowa in Story County. Lying approximately 30 miles north of Des Moines, it had a 2010 population of 58,965, while Ames is the largest city in Story County, the county seat is in the nearby city of Nevada 8 miles east of Ames. Ames is the home of Iowa State University of Science and Technology, a research institution with leading Agriculture, Design, Engineering. ISU is the nations first designated land-grant university, and the birthplace of the Atanasoff–Berry Computer, Ames is also the home of the USDAs Agricultural Research Services National Animal Disease Center. NADC is the largest federal animal disease center in the U. S. conducting research aimed at solving animal health and food safety problems faced by livestock producers, Ames has the headquarters for the Iowa Department of Transportation. In 2010, Ames was ranked ninth on CNNMoney. com Best Places to Live list, the city was founded in 1864 as a station stop on the Cedar Rapids and Missouri Railroad and was named after 19th century U. S. Congressman Oakes Ames of Massachusetts, who was influential in the building of the transcontinental railroad, Ames was founded by local resident Cynthia Olive Duff and railroad magnate John Insley Blair, near a location that was deemed favorable for a railroad crossing of the Skunk River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 24.27 square miles. Ames is located on Interstate 35, U. S. Route 30 &69, two small streams run through the town, the South Skunk River and Squaw Creek. Campustown is the neighborhood south of Iowa State University Central Campus bordered by Lincoln Way on the north. Campustown is a high-density mixed-use neighborhood that is home to many student apartments, nightlife venues, restaurants, Ames has a humid continental climate. On average, the warmest month is July and the coldest is January, the highest recorded temperature was 102 °F in 1988 and the lowest was −28 °F in 1996. As of the census of 2010, there were 58,965 people,22,759 households, the population density was 2,435.6 inhabitants per square mile. There were 23,876 housing units at a density of 986.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 84. 5% White,3. 4% African American,0. 2% Native American,8. 8% Asian,1. 1% from other races, hispanic or Latino of any race were 3. 4% of the population. 30. 5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6. 2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age in the city was 23.8 years. 13. 4% of residents were under the age of 18,40. 5% were between the ages of 18 and 24,22. 9% were from 25 to 44, 15% were from 45 to 64, and 8. 1% were 65 years of age or older

7.
National Collegiate Athletic Association
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The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a non-profit association which regulates athletes of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations, and individuals. It also organizes the programs of many colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. The organization is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 2014, the NCAA generated almost a billion dollars in revenue. 80 to 90% of this revenue was due to the Division I Mens Basketball Tournament and this revenue is then distributed back into various organizations and institutions across the United States. In August 1973, the current three-division setup of Division I, Division II, under NCAA rules, Division I and Division II schools can offer scholarships to athletes for playing a sport. Division III schools may not offer any athletic scholarships, generally, larger schools compete in Division I and smaller schools in II and III. Division I football was divided into I-A and I-AA in 1978. Subsequently, the term Division I-AAA was briefly added to delineate Division I schools which do not field a football program at all, in 2006, Divisions I-A and I-AA were respectively renamed the Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision. Inter-collegiate sports began in the US in 1852 when crews from Harvard University, as other sports emerged, notably football and basketball, many of these same concepts and standards were adopted. Football, in particular, began to emerge as a marquee sport, the IAAUS was officially established on March 31,1906, and took its present name, the NCAA, in 1910. For several years, the NCAA was a group and rules-making body, but in 1921, the first NCAA national championship was conducted. Gradually, more rules committees were formed and more championships were created, a series of crises brought the NCAA to a crossroads after World War II. The Sanity Code – adopted to establish guidelines for recruiting and financial aid – failed to curb abuses, postseason football games were multiplying with little control, and member schools were increasingly concerned about how the new medium of television would affect football attendance. The complexity of problems and the growth in membership and championships demonstrated the need for full-time professional leadership. Walter Byers, previously an executive assistant, was named executive director in 1951. Byers wasted no time placing his stamp on the Association, as college athletics grew, the scope of the nations athletics programs diverged, forcing the NCAA to create a structure that recognized varying levels of emphasis. In 1973, the Associations membership was divided into three legislative and competitive divisions – I, II, and III, five years later in 1978, Division I members voted to create subdivisions I-A and I-AA in football. Until the 1980s, the association did not offer womens athletics, instead, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, with nearly 1000 member schools, governed womens collegiate sports in the United States

8.
Les Miles
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Leslie Edwin Miles is an American football coach and former player. He served as coach at Louisiana State University from 2005 to 2016. Miles is nicknamed The Hat for his white cap, as well as The Mad Hatter for his eccentricities. Miles led the 2007 LSU Tigers football team to a win in the BCS National Championship Game against Ohio State, Miles was born the son of Bubba, a long-haul trucking broker, and Martha Miles. He earned all-state honors as a lineman in football as well as letters in baseball and wrestling at Elyria High School in Ohio and he attended the University of Michigan where he was a two-year letterman under Coach Bo Schembechler from 1974 to 75. In 1980, Miles returned to Michigan as an assistant coach to Schembechler and he left Michigan in 1982 to coach at the University of Colorado where fellow Michigan assistant Bill McCartney had just been named head coach. Coincidentally, one of his assistants on the Colorado staff was another future LSU head coach, Gerry DiNardo. In 1987, Miles returned to Michigan, which was still being coached by Schembechler, when Schembechler retired in 1990, Miles continued as OL coach under new head coach Gary Moeller. While Miles was an assistant at Michigan, the Wolverines had eight consecutive winning seasons and bowl appearances. In 1995, Moeller was forced to resign for non-football related reasons, at the same time, Miles had a rift with the University of Michigan, forcing him to seek employment elsewhere. Miles then accepted a promotion to offensive coordinator on former Colorado assistant Bob Simmons staff at Oklahoma State, during the 1998 through 2000 seasons he was the tight ends coach for the NFLs Dallas Cowboys under head coaches Chan Gailey and Dave Campo. Miles returned to Oklahoma State in 2001 as head coach, in the three years prior to Miles arrival in Stillwater, the Cowboys finished 5–6, 5–6, and 3–8. Oklahoma State posted another losing record in Miles first season at the helm and his last three seasons at Oklahoma State ended in invitations to the Houston, Cotton, and Alamo Bowls, respectively. During the last game of Miles first season as coach, OSU faced Oklahoma. Despite the fact that OSU was facing Oklahoma on the road, during Miles second season, OSU again ended the regular season with a game against Oklahoma. This time Oklahoma was ranked the No.3 team in the country, and yet again, Miles led his team to a 38–28 upset victory over the Sooners. As a result of his teams performance during his second year, in September 2013, Sports Illustrated published a series of articles as part of an investigation of his tenure at Oklahoma State from 2001 to 2005. The series alleged Oklahoma State used a system for players, orchestrated by then-assistant coach Joe DeForest, along with direct payments

9.
2011 LSU vs. Alabama football game
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In a game dominated by defense and special teams, LSU won in overtime 9–6. LSU kicker Drew Alleman made all 3 of his goals, while Alabama kickers Jeremy Shelley and Cade Foster made only 2 out of their 6 attempts. LSU and Alabama first met on the field in 1895, and have met annually since 1964, when former LSU head coach Nick Saban was hired in the same capacity at Alabama, their annual contest became, arguably, an even more heated rivalry than before. Statistically, the game matched two of the top defenses in both the SEC and all of college football, Alabama received the ball to begin the game. Alabama took a 6–3 lead in the third, but LSU tied the game at 6–6 in the quarter to send the game into overtime. In the overtime period, Alabama missed a 52-yard field goal, LSU then connected on a 25-yard field goal to win the game 9–6. In the weeks after the game, both teams defeated their opponents, and LSU captured the SEC Championship, after they defeated Georgia 42–10. On December 4,2011, the final Bowl Championship Series standings were released with LSU ranked No.1, in the rematch, Alabama defeated LSU 21–0 and captured the 2011 national championship. LSU and Alabama first met on the field in 1895 and continuously since 1964, prior to their 2011 game, Alabama held an overall lead in the all-time series with 45 wins to only 24 for LSU and five ties. Historically, LSUs main rival was Tulane and Alabamas were both Auburn and Tennessee, however, when former LSU head coach Nick Saban was hired in the same capacity at Alabama in 2007 season, the Alabama–LSU game became a major rivalry game for each school. At the beginning of the 2011 season, both teams were ranked in the top five, after the week ten polls were released, the game officially became the first college football, regular season No.1 vs. No.2 matchup since the 2006 Michigan vs. Ohio State football game, No.2 matchup between SEC conference foes. No.2 rankings against conference rivals and the hype that led up to the matchup, in the preseason polls, LSU opened the 2011 season as the No.4 team in both the AP and Coaches Polls. In week one, the Tigers met the No.3 Oregon Ducks in the Cowboys Classic, against the highly regarded Oregon running attack, the LSU defense held the Ducks to less than 100 yards rushing and won the game 40–27. With their win, they moved up to No.2 and No.3 in the AP, against the No.25 Bulldogs, the Tigers only managed to score a single touchdown, but behind a third strong defensive performance won 19–6. In their third game of the season against a ranked opponent, although West Virginia was able to outgain the Tigers in total offense 533 to 366 yards, four Mountaineer turnovers resulted in a 47–21 LSU victory. As a result of this win, combined with the two over ranked opponents, LSU was selected the No.1 team by the AP following week 5. The Tigers returned home to defeat the Kentucky Wildcats 35–7 in Jordan Jeffersons return from suspension, and then defeated the No.17 Florida Gators 41–11, also in Death Valley

10.
Paul Rhoads
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Paul Robert Rhoads is an American college football coach and former player. He currently serves as coordinator for the University of Arkansas. A long-time major conference defensive coordinator, he is best-known for his tenure as head coach at Iowa State. Rhoads played defensive back at Missouri Western State University and he graduated in 1989 with a bachelors degree in economics and was the recipient of the Chris Faros Scholarship, honoring the programs top senior student-athlete. Rhoads then earned a degree from Utah State University in 1991. Rhoads began his career under Chuck Shelton as a graduate assistant at Utah State working with the secondary. After serving in the capacity under John Cooper at Ohio State. The following season, the Pacific Tigers ranked 20th nationally in pass defense, in 1995, incoming head coach Dan McCarney hired Rhoads to join him at Iowa State, where he served as linebackers and secondary coach for 5 seasons. While with the Cyclones, Rhoads also assisted with the special teams, in 2000, Rhoads was hired as the defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Panthers by Walt Harris. In his first season, Rhoads was credited with improving the teams defense to their best performance since 1980, in 2001, his defensive unit ranked among the nations top 30 in five different categories at seasons end. Additionally, Pitt finished with 38 quarterback sacks, in 2002, the Panthers defense ranked among the nations top 25 in an impressive seven different categories. In 2004, Pitt ranked ninth nationally with 17 interceptions and Rhoads was kept on staff by new head coach Dave Wannstedt. That decision proved wise as by then end of the 2005 season, Pitt was ranked nationally in pass defense. In 2006, Sporting News named Rhoads the Big Easts best defensive coordinator, in 2007, Rhoads defense was among the nations leaders in various categories, finishing fifth nationally in total defense and third nationally in pass defense. In 2002, coach Tommy Tuberville offered Rhoads a job to fill a vacant spot for defensive coordinator at Auburn, having completed only his second season at Pitt, Rhoads passed on the job with Tuberville eventually hiring Gene Chizik. However, when Will Muschamp resigned at the conclusion of the 2007 season, as head of Auburns defense, Rhoads also coached defensive backs, as did the Tigers last four defensive coordinators. While the 2008 Auburn defense started exceptionally, the Tigers struggled down the stretch finishing 5–7, the highly touted defense fell to an overall defensive ranking of 27th out of 119 Division I FBS squads, but did finish 10th in yards per play and 15th in scoring. Following the departure of Tommy Tuberville at Auburn, Gene Chizik returned to Auburn as head coach, Rhoads was not retained by the new head coach and was subsequently chosen to replace Chizik as head coach at Iowa State

11.
Brandon Weeden
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Brandon Kyle Weeden is an American football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He was drafted as the 22nd overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns and he has also played for the Dallas Cowboys and is currently serving in a backup quarterback role for the Houston Texans. Weeden was the quarterback for the Oklahoma State Cowboys from 2010 to 2011. Weeden was the quarterback at Edmond Santa Fe High School. He finished 2nd in the state of Oklahoma in passing yards with 2,863 and he was named All-State in football and later that year was also named All-State in baseball. Weeden graduated from Edmond Santa Fe High School in 2002, a pitcher, Weeden was drafted in the second round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft by the New York Yankees as their first selection in the draft. After the 2003 season, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers with Jeff Weaver, following the 2005 season, he was selected in the Rule 5 draft by the Kansas City Royals. Weeden played his last season of baseball in 2006 with the Class-A High Desert Mavericks of the California League. Injuries and poor performance led Weeden to quit baseball, Weeden enrolled at Oklahoma State in 2007 and redshirted his first year. The following year, in 2008, he appeared in one game against Missouri State. Starting in 2009, Weeden played in three games, including one in the absence of injured Zac Robinson on Nov.19. Alex Cate started the game, but Weeden replaced him at halftime and led the Cowboys to an 11-point comeback victory, in 2010, Weeden was named the starter for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. In week two Weeden suffered an injury to his thumb, which led to two interceptions and two fumbles in a win over Troy. Weeden said, Hurt thumb, no thumb, whatever, it doesnt matter, I dont care if I dont have a thumb. Youve got to take the snaps and he followed that performance by throwing six touchdowns the following week. He was named Big-12 Offensive Player of the Week in the victory over Tulsa, the win helped move Oklahoma State into the Coaches Poll top 25 for the first time in 2010. Coach Gundy reflected on the win, Sometimes, you have games like that and we were rolling on all cylinders. Weeden added, We had a week of practice. It was a whole lot of fun tonight